Ollie Watkins

[JUAN PABLO]

So he would never have been sold in summer as he wouldnt have passed a medical .

[PaulWinch again]

Yeah, this assumption Malen is a wide player when he's not.

No, but he’s not a lone forward either. At least in the context of how we want to play.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Emery has said he wanted to find out exactly what Malen's best position was. I think he's good but not great. Watkins gives us far more energy and work rate, and defending from the front. Which is what Emery likes. If we can find a way to play then as complementary strikers that would be ideal, and Guessand strikes me as a back up for Malen.

We have a very narrow team and are in need of some width z we just don't have any players who are natural wingers with pace.

Disagree on Malen's workrate, he really does everything Watkins does. Big credit to Watkins if he's been playing with an injury though it's absolutely shit news on several levels. I hope he takes something from Unai not only protecting him yesterday in his press conference but going out of his way, something I don't think he's done previously with any player, to really sing his praises.

Right now it would be insane to drop Malen but I still believe he can work together with Watkins. It would mean dropping to a 4-2-2 -2 with no 10 and as you point out we're already narrow as it is. Both Digne and Maatsen are capable of providing the width on the left and deliver but on the right Cash refuses to cross the ball, forever passing it back to McGinn.

That formation may see an abrupt end to us scoring worldies from outside the box which may please one or two who prefer the more industrial 6 yard scramble that suits Watkins more than anyone. Ideally Unai could find away to mix it up but it would mean drawing up a completely new plan. Before he rips up the blueprint I'd hope our coaching team can sit Watkins down and show him one of the reasons he's not scoring, his positioning. For me it's his greatest asset, something so few strikers naturally have but this season it's like he completely forgot and is going to the places where the ball is least likely to arrive.

It may be instruction but it seriously needs to be reviewed as it's clearly not working. Over to you, Unai.

[usav]

So he would never have been sold in summer as he wouldnt have passed a medical .

Meanwhile, he should have spent the summer getting it fixed.

[Drummond]

Emery has said he wanted to find out exactly what Malen's best position was. I think he's good but not great. Watkins gives us far more energy and work rate, and defending from the front. Which is what Emery likes. If we can find a way to play then as complementary strikers that would be ideal, and Guessand strikes me as a back up for Malen.

We have a very narrow team and are in need of some width z we just don't have any players who are natural wingers with pace.

Disagree on Malen's workrate, he really does everything Watkins does. Big credit to Watkins if he's been playing with an injury though it's absolutely shit news on several levels. I hope he takes something from Unai not only protecting him yesterday in his press conference but going out of his way, something I don't think he's done previously with any player, to really sing his praises.

Right now it would be insane to drop Malen but I still believe he can work together with Watkins. It would mean dropping to a 4-2-2 -2 with no 10 and as you point out we're already narrow as it is. Both Digne and Maatsen are capable of providing the width on the left and deliver but on the right Cash refuses to cross the ball, forever passing it back to McGinn.

That formation may see an abrupt end to us scoring worldies from outside the box which may please one or two who prefer the more industrial 6 yard scramble that suits Watkins more than anyone. Ideally Unai could find away to mix it up but it would mean drawing up a completely new plan. Before he rips up the blueprint I'd hope our coaching team can sit Watkins down and show him one of the reasons he's not scoring, his positioning. For me it's his greatest asset, something so few strikers naturally have but this season it's like he completely forgot and is going to the places where the ball is least likely to arrive.

It may be instruction but it seriously needs to be reviewed as it's clearly not working. Over to you, Unai.

I don't think Malen works as hard defensively, not at the speed Watkins does at any rate. Offensively there's no question.

Re the positioning I tend to agree, and Unai has to work out where he wants Watkins to be, because it feels like he's been marked out of games.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Re the positioning I tend to agree, and Unai has to work out where he wants Watkins to be, because it feels like he's been marked out of games.

I can't speak more highly of his one real world class talent, his ability over the years to be in the right place at the right time. Now for some reason when the ball comes in from the left, he's marking the back post, same from the right. Occasionally he'll drop back to the penalty spot, basically he's missing all the action. He's never been clinical but even when he missed a few sitters you'd still expect him to score in a game, such was his availability to score.  It just doesn't make sense.

[Percy McCarthy]

Yeah, this assumption Malen is a wide player when he's not.

It’s a strange one. Don’t know where they got that from.

[Drummond]

Re the positioning I tend to agree, and Unai has to work out where he wants Watkins to be, because it feels like he's been marked out of games.

I can't speak more highly of his one real world class talent, his ability over the years to be in the right place at the right time. Now for some reason when the ball comes in from the left, he's marking the back post, same from the right. Occasionally he'll drop back to the penalty spot, basically he's missing all the action. He's never been clinical but even when he missed a few sitters you'd still expect him to score in a game, such was his availability to score.  It just doesn't make sense.

I think opponents are just working him out and he and Emery aren't working out a different way. But we are approaching the box differently, and opponents are able to see the game in front of them more easily I think. Plus we seem to be getting slower in our approach,

[Smirker]

Tielemans played with an injury all last season and won player of the year.

Tielemans doesn’t rely on physicality and pace to place his game. He’s got guile, has players around him to do the footwork and can play a killer pass at will. It’s two totally different scenarios.

Fair enough, but I was addressing the point that I thought somebody made about it being bullshit that players play with injuries.

For a few games, fine.

Not for a year when he hasn't been playing well and then choosing not to sign a striker.

[Smirker]

Well it looks like he basically has one good season in his career to date, and whilst I appreciate stats are not everything, there’s little to suggest he’s going to be a prolific goal scorer. I hope he will be, but if we’ve banked on him becoming a good centre forward I would say it’s a bit of a punt.

Could be describing Watkins here.

[PaulWinch again]

That’s a beyond idiotic comparison, which I think you know.

[Ian.]

Tielemans played with an injury all last season and won player of the year.

Tielemans doesn’t rely on physicality and pace to place his game. He’s got guile, has players around him to do the footwork and can play a killer pass at will. It’s two totally different scenarios.

Fair enough, but I was addressing the point that I thought somebody made about it being bullshit that players play with injuries.

For a few games, fine.

Not for a year when he hasn't been playing well and then choosing not to sign a striker.

I guess this is something you should be shouting about in the Emery thread?

[Ian.]

This reminds me of last season and the Mings debate over Torres with banned member Tim not very nice but Dim.

[German James]

Tielemans played with an injury all last season and won player of the year.

Tielemans doesn’t rely on physicality and pace to place his game. He’s got guile, has players around him to do the footwork and can play a killer pass at will. It’s two totally different scenarios.

Fair enough, but I was addressing the point that I thought somebody made about it being bullshit that players play with injuries.

For a few games, fine.

Not for a year when he hasn't been playing well and then choosing not to sign a striker.

I guess this is something you should be shouting about in the Emery thread?

Except no-one knows if it's true.

[PeterWithesShin]

Does anyone really believe that Tuchel and Unai are lying?